spanish.academy

FUN level and proficiency improving over time!! :)

Son’s anxious feelings before class reducing over time, and FUN level increasing, plus MAJOR progress being made!!We were previously using Duolingo, which we still love for a quick daily practice and reviews, but without a live person there to make subtle pronunciation corrections, or to lead a regular, every-day conversation, little progress is actually made over time. My son did enjoy doing his Duolingo every day as part of homeschool, but we made the decision to try an online school. We found HSA and are SO glad we did!!! My son’s teacher, Liz, is very friendly, SO encouraging, and thankfully, she is fun, too! While using a structured curriculum which my son accepted and is motivated to use, she also has fun conversations with him every single class – just things that come up during lessons, like how many siblings they each have, what the weather is like today (we had a hurricaine in Southern California last week!!!, but she said they have them all the time in Guatemala), and what pets we have. They enjoy these regular real-life conversations, and we were AMAZED that he could actually discuss these things with her IN SPANISH, while he’s only in his 8th lesson with her. So fun!!My son does have some anxious feelings just before each class, and seems exhausted afterwards (25mins class time), particularly when there is a quiz/exam, he says he really enjoys the classes!! (My point is that if your student says they are nervous or anxious, I would suggest just surging through for a few more weeks – there may be this breakthrough toward a good relationship with the teacher that tips the scale over anxious feelings).I have NEVER had a teacher in regular school (even me as the teacher with my son in homeschool) give more praise for doing regular activities! I know there is the idea that not every kid deserves a trophy for just doing their work, our HSA teacher doles it out copiously and this encourages our son (and us, the parents!! :) This really keeps lessons positive, and we ALL appreciate the kudos :)Regarding scheduling classes and login, it could not be easier. You just select days of the week you want, and you get a list of times, you pick one, and add it to your schedule. Discounts for purchasing more classes at the same time – great. Our teacher has always showed up on time (she is often waiting there when we log on early!) We never feel rushed, and she never finishes classes early. She seems organized, has a plan, tells us the plan for the next class every time, and assignees homework and makes it very clear which sections to complete (homework takes perhaps 10-15 minutes max).You might think that the small cost for these classes is unnecessary, but can you really place a price on being able to communicate clearly with Spanish-speakers? There are SOOO many countries where Spanish is spoken. Becoming bilingual is an amazing accomplishment AND can be used life-long. These classes are super cheap compared to wasting time in other courses where you may stagnate over time. Plus, these classes also offer FUN! We do classes three days a week 25 minutes per class, and this seems just right for us. We could see 5 days a week speeding up our progress but we don’t think our son loses progress or has trouble diving back in after the weekend or after his day off from class.Overall, HSA makes purchase, scheduling, logon and understanding curriculum and assignments very simple, no stress! AND it makes class fun with easy-to-appreciate progress being made at each class. We highly recommend HSA. We can’t imagine you not loving it, too. Have fun!!! :)

Date of experience: Sep 05, 2023